Terra Sancta Estate Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosé 2023

Terra Sancta Estate Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosé 2023Dry style Raspberry & apricot White florals & herbs Racy acidity A lovely light salmon hue, its fragrance is that of provencal herbs, white flowers and apricots. The palate is complex, showing great energy with racy acidity and standout minerality, combined with dried raspberries, apricot kernel and herbal notes. Detailed and precise in nature, this is a sophisticated Ros with outstanding length a product of meticulous care and focus in the vineyard

• Dry style
• Raspberry & apricot
• White florals & herbs
• Racy acidity

A lovely light salmon hue, its fragrance is that of provencal herbs, white flowers and apricots. The palate is complex, showing great energy with racy acidity and standout minerality, combined with dried raspberries, apricot kernel and herbal notes. Detailed and precise in nature, this is a sophisticated Rosé with outstanding length - a product of meticulous care and focus in the vineyard and winery.

Prioritised from the farm to bottle, it is made from outstanding Pinot Noir grown at Terra Sancta Estate on Felton Road, identified as the best for Rosé. With an average vine age of 25 years, over 85% of the fruit is handpicked from own rooted vines on Sarah’s Block planted in 1995, with the remaining Pinot Noir from 1991 planted Slapjack Block, along with Riverblock. For Terra Sancta, 2023 marks seven years of organic, no-till regenerative farming. With our slow winter sheep grazing, and permanent flock of sheep, the 51 tonnes of annual animal generated compost have made a real impact on our vine health and the health of the grapes which is evident in the purity of fruit delivered to your glass.

A cold spring with a high number of frosts got the season off to a scary start, however dedicated frost-fighting protected our vines during budburst. Timely rainfall and warm weather during late spring and early summer created ideal growing conditions all the way through to early March when frosts struck again. Harvest began on 24 March however cool weather and rain slowed ripening, prolonging the harvest period with the last fruit picked on 4 May. The 2023 vintage is characterised by minerality, purity, and precision- all of which are exemplified in this Rosé.

The Pinot Noir was hand harvested in 15 small parcels, and fermented separately before blending, creating complexity. Each parcel spent between 2 - 6 hours on skins to pick up a little colour and texture, before being gently pressed. The outstanding quality of the fruit led to 100% native fermentation, with 60% of the ferment taking place in neutral french oak barrels and a large format oak Garbellotto, helping build additional layers of complexity. Bottled at Terra Sancta in September 2023.

Food Pairing: Due to its bright acidity, complexity and concentration, this is an outstanding food Rosé. We still recommend it where shared plates are the order of the day, however if you want a taste sensation, drink this wine whilst eating a lobster roll - heaven!